Chapter 11

Becky tried to stop him from leaving her but her insecurities and nagging had made the little affection that he had developed over the years die down.
Crystal and Georgia were walking through the shelves and there were so many beautiful dresses that they did not know which to take as the confusion was too much.
" Let's take this one, I love the open back", Georgia said taking out a blouse from the hanger.
Crystal looking at it responded,
"I will rather take this one as it gives an extraordinary brightness to my skin", she told her friend and they both giggled at each other for behaving like teenagers who could not decide on what to wear.
Georgia coming back on what had happened outside a while ago.
Crustal gave a long stare at her friend as she could already tell what she had in mind.
" Georgia I know that you have something in your mind to ask so spill", she told her friend laughing.
Georgia knowing that her friend had caught her already, pretended to be too serious in looking for clothes.
"Georgia, I am still waiting for the gossip you have in your chest so talk now or forever dies with it", Crystal said in a loud voice that her friend could not hold back the laughter that had formed in her throat that she gave up with one evil laughter.
" You are very wicked Crystal, you were aware that once you say this line I was going to crack up", Georgia said trying to find her breath back as she had laughed so much.
Crystal was happy that she could make her friend laugh this much as she deserved it after all for standing by her all these days.
Georgia after laughing for some minutes, narrated the expression on Becky's face when Simon hugged Crystal warmly.
"I bet that guy still has a crush on you it is written all over him and he can not dare to deny it", Georgia spoke turning to the other shelf as she had spotted a lemon green mini skirt that was perfect for her red blended with black boots at home.
Crystal who had noticed that Simon had not gotten over her, smiled as she got lost in her thoughts.
Georgia who had noticed her silence turned to look at her and read that she was smiling, she asked with a teasing look,
" Thinking about him yeah?".
"No I am not", Crystal responded in a defensive manner strolling as fast as a rat in between the shelves.
Georgia who had known her friend for a long time now spoke softly at her back,
" We all thought that you and Simon were going to end up as sweethearts even before our graduation but unfortunately that was only a mere thought", Georgia blab her tongue in wonder as to what her friend was going to reply.
Crystal lowered her head as she thought of her old school days with Simon as the most handsome guy in school and her as the most beautiful lady.
Her classmates always called her SHE BEAUTY as she was vastly gorgeous with curves that even teachers wished to have.
"You both would have made a good couple as you were the only person who dared to put him in his rightful place", Georgia's narration reminded Crystal of the disgusting quarrel she had at the canteen with Simon.
Simon was one proud and arrogant student who thought that everything had to be done his way as he had a group in school who terrorized students on campus.
He felt that he had control over everyone as his father was the minister of national security.
He always walked with his shoulder so high and a diminishing look till he stumbled on Crystal one day at the Canteen.
She was not a new student but her calmness and innocence made her almost not recognizable except for older students who had been schooling there with her.
Simon had bumped into Crystal and her tray of food landed on the ground and he could not say sorry but instead pushed her head, telling her to look where she was going next time.
When Crystal heard what he had said, she asked him if he could at least have the decency to apologize as he was the person who was not watchful over where he was going.
Simon taking it personally walked closer to Crystal and spoke to her face asking if she knew who he was turning back to his friends who were hyping him.
The whole canteen had become silent as everyone felt scared for Crystal because Simon, was a notorious person and no one could do anything to him as his father always intervened fully.
Crystal spat on his face asking him to near her one more time and he will regret what she will do to him.
Simon and his friends were shocked to the core after the reaction that Crystal put up.
Crystal left her tray of food ok rye ground and walked away from him. She had not yet made two steps when she felt a strong force pulling her from behind as get hand was held behind tightly.
Simon had to defend his name and his honor by making her respect him as the others did.
Crystal who could not digest the fact that he had held her hand, turned to face him and with a heavy slap she spanked off his face so hard that he did a rotation before balancing well on his feet.
She looked at him and gave him the warning of his life that no one had ever tried to before.
Simon who could not bear the embarrassment got up and came to Crystal to hit her and she doubled the slap.
Her late father had registered her in a Kungfu center for its steps to be instilled in her.
After doing that, she walked out of the canteen to her class. Simon stood there like a dog that had been rejected by its owner.
He could not believe what had just happened as everyone made a mockery of him so much that he left the school that day before its actual time.
" He got what he deserved as he always claimed to be a tyrant in school", a student murmured from under her desk.
Even the teachers were scared of correcting him whenever he did something wrong as they were scared that his parents were going to be informed about it and will withdraw their assistance from their school not knowing that, the father had nothing to do with his bad behavior.
His father did not know what his son often did in school but his mother was and she was the person pampering his behavior which made him so insolent towards his classmates and even his superior.
This encounter he had with Crystal was the iron that beaches the camel's back as his true identity was finally being revealed to his father when he was called for a P.T.A meeting since his mother was out of the country at the time for medical reasons.
Simon, could not believe his ears and eyes when he was told that despite what had happened between Crystal and himself, she still went ahead to file a complaint and demanded that her father and the parent of Simon be convicted to school immediately.
His father's shock was immense and Uncle Max arrived furious at what Crystal had narrated over the phone.
"What are you telling me, that my son is a tyrant here in school?", Crystal could vividly remember the reaction Simon's father had put up in the office that day.
Uncle Max had come as my guardian as it was the only parent she had. He supported his niece and threatened to lock up Simon if he ever tried to harass her again in that school.
The teachers realizing that his father was not aware of anything he was doing wrong as his mother was always the person to answer to the convocations that were being given to him, decided to narrate got chaos in the school and on the students in the institute.
He was tongue-tight probably because he did not expect a day like that to come and lowering his head he could not utter a word.
Crystal stood there looking at his father as he slapped his head off in total disappointment at his son's behavior.
His father was a well-educated and respectable mam and from his manner of speaking, one could tell that he was not influenced by his position in society as he humbly apologized for his son's mistakes.
Simon's father even opted to go to the school assembly to apologize to the whole students for his son's behavior towards all of them.
The administrator and tutors had stopped him from doing that as they had seen his apologies to be sincere.
His dad shook hands with Uncle Max as they became friends from that day on till date and after that incident, Simon's shoulders had come down from their high places as he had been humiliated in front of the whole school.
His crew had abandoned him as he had no influence anymore and there were also comments going around that he was granted from home, meaning his journey was just from home to school and school to home.
His father asked the dean of the College to assign to him the washing of privies for two weeks and for him to clean all the staff offices after school before going home.
Simon could not believe that his father could do something to him like that but he was fully aware that his father was a man of justice, and that was the reason why he always informed his mother about his atrocities.
There was a time that he and his squadron, pounced on a lad just because he refused to do their assignments for them.
The student was taken to the school infirmary and his mother was called so as that of the boy.
When his mother arrived in school with a big black Jeep accompanied by two guards, she went into the Dean's office and as Simon was being punished in there.
When he saw his mother, he got up from his punishment corner and walked to her, the mother of the young boy was also present and when she saw what her son had done to the innocent fellow, all she could do was to ask her guards to give the lady some money to take proper care of her son.
No apologies and no remorse for what he had done.
The lady picked up the money from the guard's hands and took her son out of there.
He was left to do back to class but his two friends were severely punished as they were the scapegoats.
They always followed Simon blindly whereas they had their background while he had he and their parent did not have the same financial status.
After that incident he became a more calm and serious person, he was helpful and he always wanted to go closer to Crystal but when he remembered Uncle Max" swords, he took his distance as he understood that Crystal was not of any kind of family.
The students were still scared of him but he proved his goodwill and that he had changed over time.
He was less troublesome and he took his studies very seriously as well as respected the teachers.
That was how he became everyone's favorite and he always had Crystal to thank for that, as she was the only person who had challenged him.
The next semester, Becky came into their college, and from the first day she set her eyes on Simon, she had an instant crush on him and every lady he saw him with, became an enemy.
That was how the story unfolded till after graduation and everyone left to their different destinations to further their studies.
While she was just about to finish with her thinking, Georgia landed a hot question on her face that made her question her sanity and her emotions.
"Will you accept Simon's proposal now if he asked you to date him or do you already have someone you are seeing and I don't know?", she uttered rolling her eyes all over the boutique.
Crystal with a lowered gaze peeked at her feet as she could have answered that question better if it was been asked some years back, but right then her heart was beginning to feel something unusual for someone else and she could not comprehend if it was love or mere affection.
Georgia who had noticed that her friend had ceased conversing went closer to her with a smile and said,
"You don't need to answer this now, you can take all the time that you want and you know that as your friend I will always support you", she said raising her brows to tease her friend.
Both girls burst out laughing and it was getting late so they took everything that they had chosen to the desk for payment.
The blaze had called to cancel his lunch meeting with his client as he was not feeling too okay and had to return home. But just as he was about to leave, his office phone rang and he picked it up and that was his secretary informing him that someone was at the reception to see him.
" Who is the person and what do they want?", he asked in a strange tone wanting to hang up almost immediately.
The secretary asked for their names and told her boss that they were coming for Life Mate company as they were the company's representatives.
Blaze wondered who they could be and what they wanted to meet with him and only then did he recall that his secretary had read out his tight schedule to him in the morning and she had made mention that the endorsement was to be made today at 3:00 pm.
He immediately looked at the large clock that was hung on his office wall and he realized that it was 3:10 pm by the time on it.
He had no other option but to attend to them before leaving his office. He was still deep in thought when he heard his secretary asking if he was still on the line and he said that she should send them to his office.
Crystal and Georgia were done with their shopping and they left the shopping center for the mall.
Crystal was happy to be spending the day with her friend and this helped her to forget about the incident that had taken place some hours back.
She got into her automobile and Georgia was happy as she pushed the top of her car, sending her head outside while singing to the hip-hop music that was playing in Crystal's car.
Crystal had so much fun wherever she was with Georgia as they both were youngsters who believed that life has to be lived to its fullness.
The music was so loud that Crystal lost a minute of conversation that almost got into an accident with a car that was coming eight in front of them.
Crystal developed sweat in her hairline and she parked in a corner at the road, while Georgia sat down inside the car.
"This is not going to spoil our fun today", Georgia said this and both girls screamed out in happiness as Crystal started her car again and they headed to the mall.
When Crystal arrived at the mall, she checked for a parking space and stationed her car while they both came down and walked into the place.
It was such a beautiful place and the decorations were so nice.
It is a place she always loved to go to as it reminded her of her childhood days when her parents always took her there.
The laugher from the kids playing around and the different races that came there to commune was the greatest gift ever.
Georgia could locate their favorite spot and she averted her friend so that they could go there immediately before it got filled with people.
They both took the escalator going up to Capricorn restaurant as their bellies were already rumbling from hunger and exhaustion from walking the whole day in the shopping center.
Crystal glanced through a boutique as they walked past it going to the restaurant and she could not help but notice the beautiful dress that was hung on a model as it was viewable from the store's clean glass doors.
" I like that dress Georgia, can we just make a stop in there?", Crystal spoke to her friend thinking that's he was still by her not knowing that Georgia was already in the restaurant comfortably seated.
Crystal cracked up as she had forgotten how much her friend cherished food.
"You are here and I was talking alone", Crystal spoke as she entered the restaurant too and took a seat by her friend.
" I am sorry friend, but I had to hurry because my tummy can not take it for another minute without food", she said moving her brows up and down accompanied by a childish smile.
A waiter had approached them with the restaurant's menu and without looking at the menu for even a second, Georgia already had an idea of what she liked to order.
"I want a dessert with a glass of cold orange juice, while you get me grilled chicken breast with garlic sauce and some baked potatoes", she ordered looking at me as though she wanted to order for me too.
Crystal asked if she wishes to give her order smiled at her funny gestures.
" No I do not but if you want me to, I might as well just do it for you friend even though you are complicated with your meals", she spoke as her eyes ran through the menu again.